Tracks may take us back to the Earth's beginnings or give us
a complete autobiography

of a living animal from day to day.

--Ellsworth Jaeger

Animal Tracking Day Hike

The ground is
alive where wild things write their lives, over and over, providing those
who track a glimpse of their secret goings on. The ground and surrounding
brush are like novels from which we can decipher their stories, and by
tracking we read a chapter from a wild beingís life. Tracking provides a
clearer picture of wildlife activity than any other form of observation.

The tracker
must draw on a vast knowledge of animal behaviors, routines, living and
eating habits, terrain, and causal relationships suggested by signs and
clues to figure out what the animal was doing and, therefore, where it was
going.

By learning
tracking, our resources become enhanced. Tracking teaches patience and
concentration, and teaches us the use of all senses, including the sixth
sense, intuition. Tracking can be used to increase our ability to survive
in the wilderness or help us obtain a greater awareness of the world we live
in.

Letís take a day hike and explore the lives of wild beings
through their tracks and signs.